Type-44bis Wolf of Ishtar
The Type-44bis Wolf of Ishtar is a highly customized Man-Machine, an heirloom of the House of Ódrerir. It is the title mobile suit of Saturnalia: The Wolf of Ishtar. Description The Type-44bis Wolf of Ishtar is a high-performance Man-Machine, the peak evolution of the mobile suit concept. As the heirloom of the House of Ódrerir, the Wolf of Ishtar is a centuries-old heirloom passed down between generations of the Ódrerir clan since its formation. Originally designated the SMU-A44/o Ganymede by the Saturn Expeditionary Fleet over two thousand years ago, the Wolf of Ishtar was built to scout ahead of its mothership at extreme distances, and eventually be capable of maneuvering within the immense gravitational pull of Saturn. As such, the Wolf of Ishtar makes use of an array of powerful thrusters located within the legs as well as on the back, utilizing its unique frame to bend its legs completely upward to utilize the four leg-mounted thrusters for retrograde movement and deceleration. The Wolf of Ishtar possesses no feet, as the need for walking mobile suits diminished and eventually disappeared as mankind moved further and further from Earth. Still, the legs remained a vital component in a Man-Machine's agility, being two important surfaces for the IMTS (Inertial Mass Transfer System), as well as being an ideal place to put thrusters. As the unit is over two millennia old, a significant portion of the knowledge required to properly maintain the Man-Machine has been lost to time. Instead, the Wolf of Ishtar makes use of a dizzying set of makeshift repairs, turning the once standard-issue unit into a high-performance one-of-a-kind monster that only the most capable of pilots can even hope to wrangle. History The Wolf of Ishtar begun its life as an SMU-A44 Ganymede under the Saturn Expeditionary Fleet during the early years of the Exodus History, designed primarily as an extreme-range scout. However, as the Saturn Expeditionary Fleet arrived in orbit around the ringed world, they begun to convert their Ganymedes into military police units. Eventually, the use of mobile suits, and then Man-Machines, fell as the number of usable machines dwindled due to limited supplies and repair components. As time passed, the remaining Man-Machines would end up as valuable heirlooms and symbols of power among those who owned them, being used primarily for duels and other political maneuvers. The Wolf of Ishtar, once owned by the now-defunct House of Akken, eventually changed hands by way of a duel between the patrons of Akken and Ódrerir. Armaments While the Wolf of Ishtar utilizes a Universal Equipment System, the variety of weapons that it can use are severely limited by availability and the cosmological conditions surrounding Saturn, primarily its powerful electromagnetic field. This makes energy-based weaponry highly impractical, if not impossible to use. As such, the Wolf of Ishtar maintains a set of powerful kinetic weaponry. ;*Type-31 Lance Rail :Essentially a railgun, the Lance Rail utilizes a pair of magnetic rails to propel a lance of superheated iron at extremely high velocities to melt through a target the same way a beam weapon would, with the added benefit of shrapnel for additional effect. ;*High-Frequency Cutter :As humanity arrived in the Saturn system, they quickly found out that in order to survive within the gas giant's unique environment, their technology needed to adapt. As beam weapons fell out of favour, due to the immense electromagnetic field around the planet, physical weaponry quickly found prominence once again. The high-frequency cutter is an ancient, but tried-and-true weapon, utilizing extremely high-frequency vibrations within the blade to cut through materials with ease.